Social strategy (Civ5)
This article discusses general strategies for developing Social Policies in Civilization 5. It was written for the Brave New World expansion, Fall patch, and because of the frequent and sometimes quite sweeping changes in the Social Policies, it may not be applicable to earlier versions of the game. Acquiring Social Policies Social Policies are 'bought' via accumulating Culture. Each time you acquire a certain minimum amount of this stat, you're prompted to spend it on either unlocking a Social Policy branch, or adopting a Policy within one you've already unlocked. Note that most branches can't be unlocked in the beginning of the game - they only become available as you progress to later Eras. Each time you acquire a Social Policy, the amount needed to get the next one increases. The exact values seem to vary according to the number of Policies you've already acquired, and according to N of cities belonging to your Empire (Puppet cities don't count here!). The less cities you have, the faster you'll be able to adopt new Policies. needed. Also, once you unlock and adopt an Ideology, you will be able to spend your accumulated Culture (Civ5) on acquiring Ideological Tenets instead of Social Policies. For more information on this, check here. Strategy Choosing the right Policies for your civilization and chosen victory path is crucial for success in the game. It could mean the difference between having a set of bonuses which supports your playstyle and helps you advance quicker, and between having bonuses which are of almost no use to you. Policy branches are designed each with a particular game domain in view, and you should adopt it if you decide to develop that domain: *'Tradition' enhances Population growth and speeds up development in your first four cities. It's best for empires which will depend on large Populations, especially the smaller ones, and probably the best one if you don't want to expand quickly. *'Liberty' helps quicker initial expansion (inclusively by providing free civilian units in crucial moments); it also helps larger empires with more cities further on. *'Honor' enhances your combat abilities throughout the game, especially in the early game and against Barbarians. It is strongly recommended for those attempting a Domination victory, even in the early game. *'Piety' was initially the Culture-oriented tree, but in the expansions it was gradually shifted towards Religion and Faith production. It helps immensely with your Religion, even by adding an extra Belief in Brave New World. It even enhances Faith-boosting features, such as Buildings and Holy Sites, with extra Gold and Culture production! *'Patronage' is the tree for those preferring to form alliances with City-States, and a must for those attempting a Diplomatic victory. It will not only help you to gain influence with City-States, but also improve their benefits and even diminish others' influence with them! *'Commerce' was initially designed to include both Gold-boosting and sea-oriented benefits. In Brave New World, it was redesigned to concentrate entirely on Land Trade and Gold output. Some interesting secondary effects are additional Science production from Financial buildings, and additional Happiness from Luxuries. A good policy tree for a financially oriented player! *'Rationalism' is designed to boost Science production in a variety of ways. A must for those attempting a Science victory. *'Aesthetics' is a new tree introduced in Brave New World, which revolves around the Culture and Tourism boosts, as well as many related benefits, such as increased generation of Great Artists, Writers and Musicians. It is practically required for those attempting a Cultural victory. *'Exploration' is a new tree introduced in Brave New World, which is designed primarily to enhance coastal cities and Sea Trade. Civilizations with many coastal cities benefit greatly from this tree. An added benefit is the revelation of additional Antiquity sites - the Hidden ones, after the tree completion. Because of the great variety of strategies and means to achieve victory in the game, there are so many possibilities when using Social Policies that it will be impossible to list them all here. Still, there are some things you should consider for the start of the game: *You will be able to adopt policies relatively quickly in the first 100 turns or so. You will be able to finish completely one branch, or get well under way with two - the greatest choice you will face is whether to complete one and get its full benefits, or use the two-sided benefits of two different branches. Both approaches have their merits, but you should be aware that the most powerful Policies of every branch are usually unlocked last. *You will have the choice of three (four in Brave New World) trees, each with very different effects and aims. Form a strategy for your early game right from the start, and apply it to the choice of tree! For example, if you decide to expand early, adopt Liberty. On the other hand, Tradition could nicely boost your Population and give you free Buildings in your first 4 cities - choose that if you're not in a particular hurry. If you want to fight aggressively, adopt Honor, even if you don't intend to pursue a Domination victory - there's always fighting involved, especially on higher difficulty games, and it rarely goes without you having to wipe out at least one other player. And, if you want to use the full benefits of Religion, adopt Piety - it will help you establish a Religion faster, and start reaping its benefits early. Category:Game concepts (Civ5) Category:Strategy (Civ5)